eBay has been referred to as the “flea market of the world”. If it is indeed a flea market, what an example it has proven itself! Only, real flea markets rarely, if ever, sell planes and supercars and supersmart mobile phones, not to mention the rest of the exciting stuff for a homo sapiens of any gender and age.

It’s so easy to use, you can always go and tell your friends later on, “I got it sold on the internet.” But if you need to set up a proper store on eBay, there are a few things you need to consider. Here is a short list of pointers you should consider before you plunge headlong into eBay store:

Is eBay an appropriate channel for your business?
You will find eBay particularly useful if you sell discount or discountable items or collectibles. Returned, used, closeout sale goods, and excess inventory items sell well on eBay. Shopping on eBay is extremely price competitive. Goods that are hard to find elsewhere or priced lower than other retailers will have a greater chance of getting sold.

Make a slow start. Start with a few items to sell. If you take more orders than you can successfully fulfill, you will start on the wrong foot. That will have an adverse effect on your business. First perfect the processes and gain confidence at selling. Then on, you can gradually move on to bigger things.

Customer service is important. If you sell frequently and are also able to maintain good customer service ratings, you can a part of eBay’s top-rated seller program. Sellers who get great reviews from their customers show up higher in product search results than other sellers with lower ratings. A better public feedback profile on eBay helps a lot, since buyers want to ascertain that they are not entrusting their money to unscrupulous vendors or purchasing spurious products.

eBay Store

Effective product listings are equally important. Never use harsh or restricting TOS. The terms should be simple, laid out in the bulleted list format, and accompanied by robust product descriptions. Look for quality content for each one of your products. This matters for the same reason mentioned above.

Be consciously branding your eBay store: eBay provides as many as 15 customizable pages for your store. Put them to good use. If necessary, get expert help and advice from an eBay developer. Professional service providers can undertake to build the entire store or parts thereof.

Play to the gallery: Offer free shipping. Try out your eBay store for yourself, as a customer. These tactics work because a) you need to be able to offer what many other vendors are already offering – free shipping and b) you need to be a better vendor than those others. Build on your own experience as a customer at your own store.

Need help with setting up your eBay store? Let us know. We’ll do the rest.